Russian oil and gas firm Sakhalin Energy has started its annual preventive maintenance campaign at Piltun-Astokhskoye-B (PA-B), the largest oil and gas production platform of the Sakhalin-2 project in the Russian far east.
With the topsides installed on the base structure, the total height of the PA-B platform is 121 m from the seabed to the top of the derrick. The platform has a production capacity of 70,000 b/d (11,130 m3/d) of oil, and associated gas of 100 mln scf/d (2.8 mln m3/d).
The maintenance campaign starts on June 1 and will be completed before the end of the month, Sakhalin Energy said Tuesday
The company plans to perform an annual purging of the hydrocarbon multiphase flow separation vessels, a repair of the produced water filters, maintenance of two gas compressors, including a gearbox inspection at one of them, and a number of other maintenance tasks on the giant platform.
Among the Sakhalin-2 production assets, the PA-B platform will this year be the first to undergo preventive maintenance. After the PA-B campaign, production will resume, and Sakhalin Energy will proceed with the scheduled shutdown of the LUN-A platform.
About 250 persons will take part in the major turnaround activities.
The PA-B platform is located around 12 km offshore north-eastern Sakhalin, in a water depth of 32 meters.
Since late 2008, the platform has been producing oil and associated gas from the Piltun area of the Piltun-Astokhskoye oil field.
The produced hydrocarbons are transported via the TransSakhalin pipeline system to the LNG plant and the oil export terminal at the Prigorodnoye production complex.
Sakhalin Energy stakeholders are Gazprom (50% plus one share); Royal Dutch Shell plc (27,5% minus one share); Mitsui (12.5%); Mitsubishi (10%).